18:00 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Turkey as part of his weeklong tour in the Middle East. His visit aims to address NATO-related issues and discuss the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza. Blinken's trip comes amid rising regional tensions following the assassination of Hamas deputy leader Saleh Al-Arouri and twin explosions in Iran.
Blinken's first stop in Turkey will involve discussions with his Turkish counterpart on various matters, including NATO-related concerns. Then, he will travel to Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank, and Egypt. His stated objective is to prevent further escalation of violence and instability in the region. However, the United States has maintained a firm line vetoing any resolution that calls for a ceasefire in the UNSC, continuing to provide financial and military support to Israel.
The recent assassination of Al-Arouri in Beirut's southern suburbs, which has been attributed to Israel, and the subsequent twin explosions in Iran have heightened the risk of a broader regional conflict. The responsibility for the explosions in Iran has been claimed by the IS. In light of these events, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller emphasized the need to prevent further escalation, stating that it is in the interest of no country in the region or the world.
This marks Blinken's fourth visit to the Middle East since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza on 7 October. During his trip, he will emphasize the importance of protecting civilian lives in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. He will also prioritize securing the release of remaining hostages, increasing the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance, and resuming essential services in Gaza. Additionally, Blinken aims to address the issue of forced displacement and discuss mechanisms to reduce violence, calm rhetoric, and ease regional tensions.
Blinken's visit comes amid the United States' refusal to support a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Israeli war on Gaza. The decision has sparked outcry both regionally and internationally, prompting concerns about the escalation of violence and the humanitarian crisis in the region.
17:00 Amid escalating tensions, a heated dispute has emerged between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Yoav Galant over the formation of an investigative team to probe the events of 7 October, according to Israel's Channel 12.
The disagreement stemmed from Netanyahu's decision to prohibit the attendance of Mossad chief David Barnea and Shin Bet security agency head Ronen Bar at a war cabinet session. Galant argued that such restrictions jeopardized Israel's security, while Netanyahu and Galant denied the existence of any major rift and affirmed their commitment to achieving victory in the war.
In a related development, the Israeli mini cabinet meeting concluded abruptly due to intense clashes between Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and several ministers regarding the composition of the investigative team for the 7 October events. This prompted Netanyahu to abruptly terminate the meeting, which was originally scheduled to discuss the post-war phase in Gaza.
The session reportedly witnessed heated exchanges and shouting matches, with ministers criticizing Halevi's appointment with Shaul Mofaz, who oversaw the unilateral withdrawal plan from Gaza in 2005, to lead the investigation team. Approximately three months after the events, Halevi decided to establish a security team to investigate the military, intelligence, and security failures during the 7 October incidents.
The investigative team will include former security officials, with Shaul Mofaz serving as its head. Additionally, Zeevi Farkash, former head of military intelligence, and Sami Turgeman, former commander of the Southern Command, will each lead investigations within their respective domains. According to Israeli media, the investigations will also encompass the conduct of military operations during the war in Gaza.
The investigation, as announced by the former chief of staff, will focus on two main aspects. Firstly, it will delve into the failures that took place during the events of 7 October. The specific details surrounding these failures have not been disclosed at this time.
Secondly, the inquiry will assess the army's readiness for ground maneuvers within the Gaza Strip. This aspect aims to evaluate the army's level of preparedness and effectiveness for potential operations in the region.
16:30 Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has responded to the killing of Hamas deputy leader Saleh Al Arouri in Beirut by stating that a response is "undoubtedly coming." Nasrallah made the remarks during a speech on Friday, expressing that Hezbollah would not remain silent in the face of such a violation, as it would mean that all of Lebanon would be at risk.
Al Arouri had been living in exile in Beirut under the protection of Hezbollah. Nasrallah praised Hezbollah's military strategy along the Lebanon-Israel front, stating that it has stabilized the balance of deterrence. He emphasized that there is an opportunity to liberate every inch of Lebanese land and prevent Israeli violations of borders and airspace.
Nasrallah also highlighted the unified resistance against Israel and the US by the so-called Axis of Resistance, a collection of Iran-backed groups supporting Hamas in Gaza. He mentioned the opportunity to remove American forces from Iraq and how Yemen has exposed the US for its actions in the Red Sea.
Nasrallah revealed that Hezbollah had carried out 670 operations on the Lebanese-Israeli border in the past three months, averaging six to seven operations per day. He claimed that Hezbollah has destroyed a significant number of tanks and equipment.
According to Nasrallah, the Israeli military is hiding its losses on the Lebanon-Israel front, and he criticized the accuracy of the figures presented by Israel. Israel has reported the deaths of nine soldiers and four civilians since Hezbollah initiated its cross-border conflict in October to deter Israel's assault on Gaza.
Nasrallah reiterated that Hezbollah opened a Lebanese front against Israel to pressure it to halt aggression against Gaza and alleviate military pressure on the region. He warned Israel against escalating the conflict, as the settlers in northern Israel would be the first to pay the price of a war on Lebanon.
In a significant statement, Nasrallah noted that, for the first time ever, Israel has established a buffer zone within its own borders, referring to the ongoing situation along the Lebanon-Israel frontier.
16:00 Lebanon has taken a significant step in response to the targeted killing of Hamas deputy chief Saleh Al Arouri in Beirut by filing a complaint with the United Nations Security Council. The complaint, dated January 4 and recently seen by Reuters, describes the incident as the "most dangerous phase" of Israel's attacks on Lebanon.
According to the complaint, Israel utilized six missiles in the attack that resulted in the death of Al Arouri. Additionally, Lebanon accuses Israel of exploiting Lebanese airspace to carry out bombings in Syria.
The killing of Saleh Al Arouri has raised tensions in the region, and Lebanon's complaint to the UN Security Council underscores the gravity of the situation. By submitting the complaint, Lebanon is seeking international recognition and condemnation of an unlawful act of aggression by Israel.
The targeted killing has put added tension to the Israeli war on Gaza and the near-daily exchange of fire along the borded between Lebanon and Israel.
Hundreds of people attended the funeral in Beirut on Thursday of Hamas number two Saleh Al-Aruri who was assassinated in a Lebanon strike blamed on Israel.
Calling on Hamas to avenge his death and the killing of five other members of the Palestinian resistance group on Tuesday, the mourners gathered at a mosque to recite the prayer of the dead before marching to Shatila refugee camp, the site of an infamous Israeli massacre of hundreds of Palestinians in 1982, where three of them were to be buried.
The coffins of the three, Aruri, Azzam Al-Aqraa of the Hamas military wing Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, and Mohammad Al-Rais, were draped in Palestinian and Hamas flags.
15:00 Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia Al-Sudani said he was determined to "put an end" to the "international anti-jihadist coalition" in his country after a US strike in Baghdad killed a pro-Iran commander.
Al-Sudani, whose government relies on support from Tehran-aligned parties, has repeatedly said in recent weeks he would like to see foreign troops leave Iraq.
The latest remarks came amid soaring regional tensions, with the repercussions of the Israeli war on Gaza raging for nearly three months, increasingly felt in Iraq and across the Middle East.
A US drone strike on Thursday killed a military commander and another member of Harakat Al-Nujaba, a faction of Hashed Al-Shaabi — a collection of mainly pro-Iranian former paramilitary units now integrated into the Iraqi armed forces.
Washington labeled the attack in Iraq's capital an act of self-defense, while Al-Sudani's government decried it as an act of "blatant aggression" on the part of the US-led coalition.
The Iraqi premier on Friday "affirmed his firm position seeking to put an end to the existence of the international coalition, as the justifications for its existence have ended," according to a statement issued by his office.
He said the "dialogue" to take place soon would "determine the procedure to end this presence," the statement added.
It noted that Al-Sudani was speaking at a commemoration for slain Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, who led the Revolutionary Guards' foreign operations and was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020.
US and other coalition forces in Iraq, deployed since 2014 in the fight against the Islamic State group, have come under regular attacks since 7 October.
Washington says there have been more than 100 attacks on its forces in Iraq and neighbouring Syria since mid-October 2023.
14:45 Shipping giant Maersk said that it would divert all vessels around Africa instead of using the Red Sea and Suez Canal for the "foreseeable future" after Yemeni rebels attacked its merchant ships.
The Danish company cited the highly volatile situation, especially the increase in drone attacks and the Israeli war on Gaza, noting that the security risk remains high.
"We have therefore decided that all Maersk vessels due to transit the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden will be diverted south around the Cape of Good Hope for the foreseeable future," it said in a statement.
On Tuesday, the shipping giant said it would not resume passage on the route "until further notice" after putting it on hold following an attack on the Singapore-flagged Maersk Hangzhou.
On Sunday, the Denmark-owned and -operated container vessel, which was traveling from Singapore to Port Suez in Egypt, reported being struck by a missile while transiting the Bab Al-Mandab Strait.
The Houthis have repeatedly targeted vessels in the vital Red Sea shipping lane.
They say the strikes are in solidarity with Palestinians in the war-ravaged besieged Gaza Strip, which Israel has bombarded relentlessly for three months.
14:30 At least six people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a home in the southern Gaza city of Rafah overnight, AP reported. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have crammed into Rafah, one of the areas where Israel has told people to seek refuge, while the Israeli army continues to strike all parts of the besieged territory.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says several thousands of Hamas fighters remain in northern Gaza, where entire neighborhoods have been blasted into rubble. Heavy fighting is also underway in central Gaza and the southern city of Khan Younis, where Israeli officials say Hamas’ military structure is still largely intact.
14:00 The health ministry in Gaza said at least 22,600 people have been killed in the besieged Palestinian territory since the Israeli war on Gaza erupted on 7 October.
The ministry said in a statement it had recorded 162 deaths over the past 24 hours, while a total of 57,910 people have been wounded in nearly three months of fighting.